I squeezed my eyes shut, shoving the painful memory away.
“What’s wrong?” Cade asked.
I shook my head. I can’t stay. I’ll remember. I don’t want to remember.
“Senna?” Cade’s soft voice warmed me. I opened my eyes to see soft pools of blue gazing down at me with concern. Did he not know how cruel his kind could be?
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been up here.” I looked deeply into his eyes and wondered what he was thinking. When he wasn’t acting like an egotistical archangel, he was sweet, kind, and maybe even a little funny. He reminded me of Hannah.
Clearing his throat, he turned and headed to the stake. “So what is this place?”
He ran his hand along the burnt wood. Loose flecks of char drifted to the ground.
The sound of a crackling fire filled my ears as the memory resurfaced again.
The guardians had surrounded Hannah, each holding a torch in their hand. Tovah stood off to the side, her lips tightly pursed. Green eyes glittered from her pale face.
Just as one of the guardians stepped forward to announce her sentence, Sylas ran into the clearing, yelling for Hannah and begging the others to punish him instead.
Tovah motioned to Big John. Big John looked devastated as he took hold of Sylas and dragged him back down the mountain. But it was Sylas’s desolate amber eyes that haunted me.
I shook my head, willing the memories away. “The guardians use this place to serve out punishments. It’s only been used once since I can remember.”
“For the humans?”
“No. Angels. You know it’s forbidden for angels to have relations with humans, right?”
“Of course.”
“Well, Hannah.” I gulped. “She…she…”
“She was the angel Tovahiel punished.”
The lump in my throat grew larger. All I could do was nod.
“No need to tell me more,” he said. “You cared deeply for Hannah.”
“She was my sister,” I whispered hoarsely. “And Sylas loved her. They were perfect together.”
“Sylas was human?”
“Yes. But what does it matter? They loved each other.”
“It does matter. We’re angels. Our duty comes first. We can’t let anything get in the way of that. As difficult as it may have been for Tovahiel, it’s good to see she hasn’t forgotten her responsibilities.”
My eyes snapped up to his. What was wrong with him? One moment, he acted like he actually cared, but then the next, he was like…like Tovah.
“How can you say that?” He was lucky he was good ten feet away from me. And if he were smart, he’d stay where he was.
“I know it’s difficult for creatures such as yourself to understand. We are bound to a duty to protect even those who don’t deserve it. Sometimes angels confuse their compassion for love. Humans are vulnerable and drawn to us. But as superior beings, we must not take advantage of their affection for us. Though I wonder why she chose such a punishment.”
I balked when he finished, blinking at me nonchalantly. He did not just say Hannah took advantage of Sylas. I stomped to him, ready to give him a piece of my mind. “Hannah would never do that to Sylas! She loved him.”
“That may be, but—how do I explain it?—humans are like…well, they’re like your horse, Mika. They don’t know what what’s good for them.”
“You bigheaded son of a—”
Tovah’s words from long ago echoed in my mind.
The guardians won’t ever harm you or anyone in the Sanctuary. It is our duty to protect all helpless creatures.
Was this what all angels really thought of us? Was I only a duty for Tovah? Was that why she hovered over me so closely?
“Calm down. I didn’t explain myself correctly,” Cade said.
“You can say that again. Mika is smart. Maybe even smarter than the both of us. She ran away from you,” I pointed out.
His lip twitched. “Good point. Come over here. This is what I wanted to show you.”
I followed him to the edge of the perimeter, facing east.
“Do you see that bright light in the sky over there?”
Hundreds of stars sparkled in the night sky. I spotted one that was bigger and brighter than all the rest, hanging unusually low in the sky. “That one?”
“Yes. You shouldn’t be able to see it.”
“Why not? Because I’m not an angel? I can see the stars, you know. There are dozens of them.”
“No, because it’s not a star. That is Vegas. There is eternal light outside of the sanctuary. The sun never sets. The land never cools. It is part of the curse. And if you can see their light—”
“Then they can see when it is dark here,” I finished.
“Exactly. We weren’t meant to exist like this. Angels were kept invisible. Witches stayed with their own kind hidden in the shadows, some even denying their gifts. And humans, they denied it all.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe if there wasn’t a curse, we all could coexist together.” I couldn’t imagine a world without Hannah or Big John. What if the war never happened and my mother was still alive? Would I have lived in the shadows my entire life?
Then it hit me. I was hidden. My mother knew exactly what she was doing when she made this place. And Tovah helped her by keeping the knowledge of who I was a secret. But why when they knew a witch was needed to remove the curse? Did they hope someone else would do it?
“You’re right,” he said softly.
“I am?” Wow. The great archangel was actually agreeing with me. I wasn’t expecting that.
He peered out into the darkness, deep in thought. The haunted looked in his eyes was back again. I studied him, wishing I could read his mind.
“A mistake was made, and I…we have to correct it.” His voice was barely a whisper. There was something about him right then that made me want to put my hand on his arm and tell him that everything would be all right. It was like a wall he’d had around him since the moment I’d met him was finally down, and I could see the real him. His shoulders hunched forward slightly as if he were carrying the weight of the world. The heaviness of the responsibility emanated from him.
“That’s why I’m here. I’m ready to help,” I said.
His eyes raked slowly over me. I was suddenly aware of how I probably looked to him—a muddied girl with twigs caught in her bird’s-nest hair wearing a torn dress that was barely covering her ass. Hardly the powerful and highly skilled witch he was expecting.
“I’d be more confident about our venture if you had combat training other than finger poking.” And in the blink of an eye, Cade the Great was back again. This was going to be a long trip.
He folded his arms across his chest. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“You said you don’t know any spells or have any magical gifts.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, believe it. There’s nothing I can—” At that moment, I caught sight of the red slash across his arm and pieces of the puzzle started coming together. “The arrow.”
“What?”
“Lukas aimed it at your chest. I remember feeling something push out of me. Then there was a gust of wind. I think…I think that was me.”
He arched an eyebrow, amused. “I wouldn’t qualify digestive exploits as magical.”
“What are you—” My face reddened when I realized what he was talking about. “I’m trying to be helpful here. I think I did something to shift the arrow away from using your heart as target practice. You’re welcome!”
His eyebrow arched up. “So that was you?”
“I think so. I don’t know how I did it. But it’s something, right?”
“Yes. That means you might be able to manipulate the elements. That’s good.” He smiled.
Whoa. That smile. It lit up his entire face. He was stunning.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s the first ti
me I’ve seen you happy.”
“I have something to smile about. There’s hope. Is there anything else you can do?”
“Well, there is something. I’m not sure how to explain it. Maybe it’s more of a feeling. Not my feelings, but other people’s feelings. I don’t know. It happened when we were in the temple. I had visions of Tovah taking care of me when I was sick. But it wasn’t only her. It was like I could read other people’s minds and feel what they’re feeling.”
“That could be really useful. Quick, what am I thinking?” He grabbed my arms and looked deeply into my eyes.
The first thing that popped into my head was how incredibly blue his eyes were. I silently groaned. This was not good. I could focus much better when I was angry with him.
“I’m not getting anything,” I said.
“Try harder.”
I pushed away thoughts about how incredibly long his dark lashes were. My mind was blank. Nothing was coming.
He bit down on his bottom lip, which made it harder for me to concentrate. Then he busted out laughing.
I scowled. “Why are you laughing?”
“You look like your head is about to pop off with your face all scrunched up like that.”
“Ugh! You’re not helping. I can’t read your mind.”
“Hmm, but you could read the others. Is it constant?”
“It’s not that I can “read” their minds.” If I could, I would’ve known Tovah had asked Lukas to go to the city and that he’d lied to me. And then the kiss that Lukas—that was it!
“It only happens during certain times when people are really emotional,” I said. “Like in the temple with the guardians. I think the force and the visions were coming from them.”
“What did you see?”
I told him about Tovah taking care of me when I was little and about other angels I’d never met before.
“They were thinking of home,” he said. “I think I know what your gift might be. Let me try something. Try to read my thoughts again.”
Cade’s gaze drifted away as he sank into his memories. A subtle smile crossed his lips for a moment, then fell. Torment filled his eyes.
When the odd sensation pressed against my chest, I knew the visions would follow. They appeared a second later. They went by so fast it was like even he didn’t want me to see them. I couldn’t slow them down long enough to understand what I was seeing. There was one that kept reappearing. I thought it was of a woman. But I couldn’t hold on to it long enough to be sure.
“You miss someone. I can’t tell who it is. It’s someone important to you. I can’t see it. You’re trying to hide it.”
“Okay, that’s enough.” He dropped his hands and turned away, disappearing into the shadow of one of the poplar trees. “You can see what people desire—what they yearn for.”
For some reason, my heart dropped when he said that. So he missed one of his angel girlfriend—big deal. My sympathies to her for having to put with the guy.
“Are we done now?” I still had to find Mika. And I needed to talk to Lukas and ask him to take care of her for me while I was gone or longer if something should happen to me.
“Yes, we’re done.”
The moment he said that, I raced away, going over all the things I had to do before I left and not because of the beautiful angel.
13
Time was moving way too fast. Hours slipped through my fingers like grains of rice. Before I knew it, the sun had risen and it was time to leave.
I stood underneath the Kissing Tree, taking in the colorful wildflowers covering the field. Would this be the last time I’d ever see anything as beautiful?
I traced my fingers over the slashes in the tree. This was all I had left of Hannah. Memories of her lived in the Sanctuary. Everyone I loved was here. But for them, I had to say good-bye, no matter how difficult it was.
And Lukas, that rat, made it even harder.
He’d taken the news of me leaving remarkably well. When I told him what happened in the temple, what I’d discovered about myself, and that I was going with Cade, he hadn’t batted a lash. He just stared at me with distant gray eyes, square jaw clenched. I had to whack him over the head to get anything out of him. The only thing he said was that Mika would be well taken care of. When I kissed his scruffy cheek, he jerked away as if I’d burned him.
Lukas and his father had stared at each other, communicating in silence while his mother whirled around the kitchen and wrapped up every baked good she could find. Before I could question them, his father handed me a sack filled with his arrows and kissed me on the forehead. I tried to give them back, about to tell him why he would need them. But the firm look in his eyes told me he already knew what would happen if I failed.
Saying good-bye to Lukas’s mother was even harder. The moment she wrapped her arms around me, I almost lost it. Not wanting to cry and give Lukas an excuse to demand I stay put, I pulled away and rushed out of the room to Lily’s bedroom.
Thankfully, she was asleep. Choking back tears, I brushed her silky hair back and pressed my lips against her forehead. I promised I would do everything in my power to protect her.
“There you are,” Tovah said as she and Cade headed toward me.
“I assume you’re ready,” Cade said without looking at me. He was different. Distant.
I secured the small pack and my crossbow on my back. “I said I would be.”
He let out a slow breath. His wings unfolded out of his body to their full length. “I’ll fly Senna to the outskirts of the city. Once we’re there, we’ll make our way to the watchtower. It’s located in what was once called the Stratosphere Tower.”
My stomach fluttered when Cade said my name. This was not good. I was just nervous. That’s all. Perfectly normal reaction. Even Tovah was nervous. She kept looking over her shoulder as Cade explained his plan.
“We should take no longer than a day to get there. I’ll find a place for us to shelter from the heat every few hours. Do you have enough water?”
“Right here.” I pointed to my pack.
“Very well. Let’s go.” When he opened his arms, I balked. We were flying. Which meant he had to carry me.
Against his bare chest.
For hours.
I silently groaned when my stupid stomach decided to do flip-flops.
Tovah threw a nervous glance toward the village before coming to me. Warm hands took hold of each of my arms. Emerald eyes were filled with such love it blew me away. “Take care, little one.”
My throat clenched at the wave of emotions I was feeling. As she drew me to her, I remembered what Cade told me last night. Did she really care for me? Or was I just a lower being to her who needed protection?
“If it’s too much, Big John will bring you right back,” she said.
I pulled back, surprised. “He’s coming with us?”
“Yes, I am,” Big John boomed from above.
I craned my neck, smiling widely at the sight of Big John hovering over us. I’d never seen him fly around the Sanctuary before. I could see why. His wings were massive. He’d send half the people running for the mountains in a panic if they saw him like that.
Cade spun around to confront Tovah. “What is this? This was not part of our agreement, Tovahiel.”
“I didn’t ask her permission,” Big John said, landing next to Cade. “And I’m not asking yours.”
Cade pursed his lips, deep in thought as he studied Big John. I expected him to demand that he go back. Maybe even pull his archangel rank on him. Instead, his face softened and he nodded in agreement.
No! Where was the Me-Archangel-You-Obey chest-pounding blockhead? I was depending on it. I desperately wanted Big John with me, but I couldn’t bear to see a single hair on his head hurt.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said.
Big John gazed down with kind brown eyes and grinned. “And have me miss out on watching you take down the demon lord? I wouldn’t miss that for anything.”
“I’ll tell you everything when I come back. And I’ll be careful. I promise. Please go back and make sure Lily and Lukas are kept safe if we…if I don’t…” The words wouldn’t come out. I didn’t even want to think of what would happen to them if I failed.
“I know you’ll succeed and return to tell everyone in the Sanctuary all about it.”
“Then why are you coming?”
“He doesn’t trust me,” Cade said, his voice tense.
“Cadriel.” Big John shook his head sadly and appeared to be about to explain himself when Lukas yelled from across the field.
“And neither do I!”
Lukas marched down the path with his crossbow and several large sacks. Mika, Milo, and a couple of other horses trailed behind him. He was covered from head to foot in strange clothing, similar to the ones Annalise had worn. Tall boots came up to just below his knees. A brownish-green robe covered almost half his body. His face was hidden underneath the shadow of the hood.
When he reached us, he tossed the sacks at our feet.
“I’m coming, too,” he said, pushing his hood back.
“No way. You’re not going anywhere. You said you were going to take care of Mika.” I snatched one of the bags and tossed it back to him. There was no way in hell I was going to let him come with us. If I had to get Big John to strong-arm him into staying, I would.
“I said she would be well taken care of. And she will be—by both of us.”
“I won’t allow it. I can’t protect you and Senna,” Cade said, stepping in front of Lukas.
Lukas jutted his jaw out and stepped closer to Cade, getting in his face. “I’m not letting her leave without me.”
“Cade’s right. It’s too dangerous.” I couldn’t believe I was agreeing with him. It left a bad taste in my mouth. But I’d say anything to keep Lukas from going.
Lukas kept his eye on Cade, not backing down as he argued with me. “You can whine about it all you want to, squirt. I’m going with you. I’m the only one who has seen the city. Neither of you know anything about it, do you?”
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